Our Story
by Akihito Kage
Summary: Marik and Bakura. How they met, how they lived, and how they died. Their beginning, their middle, and their end YMxYB
1. The Beginning

Once again written for a challenge, fanfic100. It had the prompts Beginnings, Middles and Ends, so I got thinking.

This is their beginning in Ancient Egypt.

Akefia - Bakura  
Runihura/Ru - Marik

I gave them different names simply because I wanted them to sound more Egyptian, as well as maybe making them seem like different people to now. If anyone wants to know, Akefia is a fan-name for Thief King Bakura (can't remember why), and I picked Runihura because it means 'destroyer' (at least according to the website I found it on).

Enjoy!

* * *

**The Beginning  
**

The smell of death was everywhere. It was even worse in the enclosed space Akefia currently hid in, to fearful to move incase the soldiers were still there, even though they'd vanished when the sun rose. He could smell blood, and the beginnings of decay, and the salt of his own tear as he cried and cried for his family, his friends, his neighbours, everyone.

Wiping the blood from his cheek, wincing a little in pain, he stood shakily, holding onto the wall for support. The white haired child stumbled out of the ruins of his house, looking around for any signs of life in the piles of bodies that lay strewn around the small canyon village. Nothing. Not even the birds came to feast on the cursed place. Akefia scrubbed at the blood on his cheek again, making a small mental note to find something to bandage the cut.

He cried as he slowly made his way out of the village, trying to ignore the death and look for life, but he found none. Even the animals seemed to avoid the place. He couldn't see a bird or a jackal or anything anywhere. He made his way out into the desert, the morning sun slowly glaring down at him. He was slightly thankful that it wasn't midday yet, as the stench would've been even worse with the sun to rot the bodies more.

The child couldn't help but look at the corpses however. More tears tumbled down his face, mixing with the blood on one side, and he saw some people were missing. His parents, for one. He had yet to see their bodies. He had also yet to find Sekani, his mother's friend, Amira, his aunt, Haji, his neighbour, and many many more faces he knew he would recognise but just couldn't see. Were they taken? Why would the soldiers take them if they came just simply slaughter?

Akefia shivered again despite the warming temperature, taking a charging run into the desert. He didn't care if he died out there, he just had to get away from the stench of death and decay and the thought that he ws the the only one left. The sand beneath his bare feet stung slightly as it heated up in the sun, and his lungs burned from running so far, so fast. He had no idea how long he had been running and crying when he finally collapsed.

His heart was beating so fast he thought it might burst out of his chest, his dog-like pants couldn't quite quench his body's thirst for oxygen. He buried his face in his arms and sobbed, wishing death to come as swiftly as possible because he was so scared of being alone, so scared of being found by a stray solider who recognised him from Kul Elna.

In the distance he heard something, although he thought it was his mind playing tricks on him. As it grew closer and closer, the white-haired boy realised it wasn't his imagination, but he immediatly thought it was the soldiers returning to make sure they'd killed everyone. He curled up in a ball as small as possible, eyes tight shut, either hoping not to be noticed or for the soldiers to be quick.

He recognised the sounds of horses when they were only a few feet away, and he heard voices. "Hey, what's that?" It was a woman. Women weren't soliders, he told himself, maybe it was the priests come to check instead.

"Its a kid!" Now that was more like a child's voice. They didn't have children soliders or priests, so maybe it was a group of bandits looking for an easy kill.

"Is he dead?" Another voice asked, and he then heard someone jump down from a horse, their feet making a soft 'whump' noise on the sand.

"He's breathing." A third voice, which Akefia guessed was the person who jumped down, announced, and then he felt a hand shake him slightly. "Hey, wakey wakey." They said in a strangely demanding but kind way. He just curled up tighter and whimpered.

"Awh, poor child, he thinks we're gonna kill him." Someone chuckled. "Hang on, is he bleeding?"

"Yeah I think so." The person near him said. "There's blood on the sand. Lets get him back to camp. We cant just leave him here to die."

Another person jumped down from their horse, and Akefia guessed it was the woman when she knelt down and spoke to him gently. "You're coming with us, ok? There's nothing to be scared of."

Slowly, the white-haired boy opened his eyes and uncurled himself, looking up into two dirty and fierce but somewhat friendly faces. Akefia's earlier thought that they were bandits was probably correct, but at least they weren't going to kill him.

"There we go." The lady smiled at him, then looked shocked for a second, "Oh you poor thing. Look at your face." She touched his slashed cheek and he quickly pulled back in pain. "We'll get that fixed up for you if you come with us."

Akefia could only nod when he was suddenly lifted onto a horse in front of spikey haired youth, probably only a couple of years older than him. He turned to look at him, and was a little taken back at the boy's blonde hair and lavender eyes. "Take care of him Ru." The woman told him as she climbed into her own horse.

"I will." 'Ru' grinned, clicking his tongue to get his horse moving, the others following suit. "So what's your name then?" Ru asked Akefia. "I'm Runihura, but most people call me Ru."

"A-Akefia." The injured boy whispered hoarsely.

"Wow, you must be thirsty." Ru said before reaching behind him and pulling a skin of water out of the horse's bag. "Here. Drink." He handed it to him while still trying to hold onto the reigns of the sandy horse they rode.

Akefia drank quickly, trying to keep his balance on the unsteady perch he sat on. He nearly slipped sideways and would've fallen had Ru not put an arm around his waist to stop him.

It didn't take long to get to the camp the group of bandits had set up around an oasis. It looks pleasent enough, with a few make-shift tents behind made from sticks and hanging blankets from the trees. There was plenty of shade, and obviously plenty of water. It was a mini Paradise.

Ru jumped down from the horse behind him, and one of the men from before hoisted Akefia into his arms before setting him down. The other boy put an arm around his shoulders and steered him towards one of the tents where an older lady sat grinding something in a small pot. "We'll get your face sorted then we can eat, 'kay?" Ru told him, and Akefia just nodded. He cheek was starting to sting now, full of sand and salty tears.

"Ru, hello." The old lady smiled, "Oh my, is he for me then?" She stood and ruffled Akefia's hair.

"Yup. This is Akefia. We found him in the desert." Ru happily told her. Akefia decided the boy was too cheery for his own good, but it was nice considering the situation he'd found himself in that morning.

"Hello darling, my name is Dalila." The woman told him, "If you come inside we can clean and bandage that poor face of yours." She gently grasped his shoulder and lead him inside. Akefia quickly whipped his head around to see if Ru was following, but he wasn't, until he saw the slightly anguished look on the younger boy's face and quickly came in.

Akefia watched Dalila prepare what he guessed was medicine while she told Ru to sort out the bandages. She told him to sit down on a bed by a sturdy-looking table, and moments after doing so she took his face softly in her hands and wiped a cloth with a medical smell over the cuts on his cheek. They stung and he hissed but he knew it had to be done. The blonde boy nearby handed Dalila the bandages he'd set out and she carefully covered up the cuts that were only slightly bleeding now. They hindered his vision slightly but it was better than infected wound.

"There. All done." The old woman smiled. "You should get something to eat now. You look starved."

"Yeah! Come on Akefia." Ru grabbed the boy's hand and tugged him out of the tent. Akefia didn't resist at all, and was quite happy with the contact.

He was taken to a group of people around a small fire. They seemed to be cooking strips of meat as well as a pot full of what looked like stew. Akefia recognised the woman from before, as well as the man who'd helped him get down from the horse. They all looked over at them as they neared.

"Now that's much better." The woman told him. "I take it you're starving, dear." Akefia nodded, not being able to find words to say.

Ru sat him down on a log that made a pretty good seat. The blonde sat down next to him and they were both handed bowls of broth. Akefia ate is with content, nearly choking with the enthusiasm he showed the meal. Ru had to clap him on the back to help him breath at one point. "Calm down!" He laughed, "Its not gonna go anywhere."

"What's your name, sweetheart?" Another woman asked him, and Akefia found he couldn't speak when he tried.

"Akefia!" Ru answered for him. "He's called Akefia. He told me on the horse."

"Well I'm Kanika." The woman told him, and then began to point to the others eating around the fire. "The lady you met before is Layla. That man next to Ru is Manu. This is Omari, my husband, and his brother Sefu. And I'm sure Ru has already told you his name."

"Yup!" The blonde chirruped before digging into the meat he was handed.

"Why were you out in the desert, Akefia?" Layla asked him, shaking her auburn tresses out of the ponytail she had it in. "Where are your parents?"

Akefia's mouth moved but he couldn't speak. His eyes welled up at the thought of his mother, his family, all dead. Before he could stop it he'd started sobbing his heart out. He only felt two small arms encircle him before he cried onto the chest of their owner.

He couldn't speak for the first few days of his time in the camp. Ru was with him the whole time, being his comfort and his friend. He found out that the camp was home to three seperate groups of bandits. Ru was the only child there other than him, and was part of Layla's group along with Manu, Omari, Sefu and Kanika. Dalila happily fixed all three group's wounds and ailments along with her daughter Aziza. They welcomed him as their own and when they decided Akefia was to stay permanently they started teaching him their tricks and their trade. Ru was only a beginner so to speak himself, so the white-haired boy was happy to learn together.

They were practically joined at the hip from the moment they met. Ru liked Akefia because he was the only other kid in the whole camp, and he had grown attached to the boy. Akefia liked Ru because he never failed to cheer him up, even right from the start.

Of course, their happiness ended when one of the other groups of bandits managed to get followed, and the Pharaoh's men came to arrest them, but it turned into a slaughter when everyone refused to go without a fight.

"You two have to run." Omari told them as they hid in one of the tents, yet to be seen. "Take one of the horses, take these," He handed them a small bag full of food and money, "And take this." He then handed Ru a golden hilted dagger. "Don't look back, keep going until you hit another village. Get out alive."

And that was the last time either of them saw one of their 'family' alive. They'd snuck out to the horses while the soliders were occupied with everyone else. They filled the bags the horse had with as much food, water and money they could. They only took one horse because it could be easier to sneak away, and when they did, Akefia couldn't help but cry. He'd lost another family.

With Ru embracing him from behind, burying his own face in his hair as they raced away, Akefia had to remember at least this time he wasn't alone. They had each other.

* * *

R+R please, its love.


	2. The Middle

Once again for fanfic100, using the prompt _Middles_.

This is how our two psychos met after being sealed away for 3000 years.

Just to remind you:  
Akefia - Bakura  
Runihura/Ru - Marik

Enjoy! There's notes at the end to explain some things X3

* * *

  
**The Middle**

When Marik was awakened, the first thing he felt was pain. Heart wrenching, unbearable, searing pain. Then pure hatred. Hatred at the cause of the pain, and the want, the need, to make someone pay for what happened. He had no recollection of why he was there, or how he came to be, only that when he awoke, he felt pain and hatred and later anger and the need for revenge.

And revenge began in the form of a golden rod and blood. He'd grabbed the item that had called to him, and fought to extiguish the cause of the pain and suffering he had awoken to. But once skin had been ripped from flesh, and the 'rational' side of him recovered from shock, he was once again pushed to the back of a small boy's mind, seeing nothing, feeling everything.

But that need, that want, that desire for revenge hadn't been quenched. There was still something, someone out there who had to pay for the pain and the hate and the anger. That someone had just as much to do with Marik as the boy's mind he dwelled in. He couldn't remember (how he wanted to remember) but he knew, he just knew that this person was to blame for his pain and the boy's.

So while shoved to the back of the boy's mind, he leaked his own feelings and thoughts to him, telling him what to do, urging him to seek out the one who had imprisoned them both. And the boy did so, not realising it was Marik who gave him all his plans and strategies. But with the loyal one by his side, Marik soon found out he couldn't gain control. It was only when the loyal one was knocked unconcious by Ra's fury that he was allowed freedom once more.

Once out, he cared nothing for the boy whose mind he'd dwelled in. He banished him and claimed the body for his own. He happily tortured those who faced him, watching with glee as the one responsible for his pain was forced to watch. Yes, he knew who it was the moment he'd lain eyes on him, the one who held the Millennium Puzzle. Once again, he didn't remember, but he knew, he just knew. He was the man who'd caused him so much pain. He didn't know what sort of pain, but he knew he was the cause.

The boy ended up turning on him, seeking the help of someone so familiar and yet so strange to him. He stopped at nothing to get what he wanted, and unfortunatly this person was in his way, and that ment defeating him. With each drop in life points, Marik felt stranger and stranger. He blamed it on the fact it was a shadow game which pretty much screwed up everything anyway, but when Ra attacked the his white haired opponent, the defiant look in his eyes as he faced banishment struck a chord somewhere in his heart, and he knew, just knew, that once upon a time, he'd loved that boy. He ignored it, however, and continued on with his revenge mission.

Yet after all his efforts, Marik still failed. He lost to the Pharaoh, and was banished to the shadows.

-

When Bakura was awakened, the first thing he felt was loneliness. A deep, deep loneliness that he simply wanted to get away from. It tugged it his heart but he didn't want to rectify it, but still he wanted to make people pay for it. Who could cause such loneliness? But, he felt content as well. However for himself he felt the need for revenge. He remembered being wronged, and being tortured. He remembered who had done it, but not why. There was also the feeling he was forgetting something, or someone.

He put all those feelings aside and hid himself within the darkness, biding his time and concocting his revenge. He might not ever find the one who imprisoned him, but Bakura wanted to be ready for that time if he ever did. Luckily, for him, the boy whose mind he resided in, whom he'd come to call his host, his landlord, came into contact with the item where his enemy was sealed. He felt the energy of that item, the Millennium Puzzle, and something happened that raised his own powers. It allowed his host to hear him, much to his own amusement and the boy's fear.

The first time Bakura lost, he was merely sent back into the Millennium Ring. He reformulated his plans and came up with another strategy. He coerced the boy, his host, into putting the Millennium Ring back on again, and he was able to see far more clearly and adjust his plans accordingly. He lay in wait, watching the world. He had another chance when he came upon his enemy's vessel was playing a game against someone who wanted the Puzzle. He faked that he'd changed, that he was the mortal's friend, and unbeknownst to his he sealed a part of his soul in a broken piece of the Puzzle, a back up in case his next plan failed.

He then found another boy with a Millennium item, and made a deal with him so that he could get it. All the boy was after was revenge, and had no need for the Rod once it was over. He failed on his side of the bargain, facing defeat at the hands of Osiris, but despite was everyone thought he wasn't gone. Bakura faced the dark side of the boy in a duel, still wanting, still needing that item. However, the person he faced he recognised. He was different, so different, but so similar at the same time. He told himself it couldn't be who he thought it was, and focused on his goal of obtaining the Millennium Rod.

Once again he lost, but the back-up plan came into play, and Bakura faced the Pharaoh, his enemy, in one more shadow game, this time with everything at stake. As he played, he couldn't help but correct everything in the game. His past self wasn't alone, he'd had a partner, a friend, a lover. He admitted Zorc had twisted his dreams and blatantly lied to him, but he couldn't stop now, not when he was so close to killing the Pharaoh and gaining what was rightfully his. After all, his family had been slaughtered to create the Millennium Items.

But the Pharaoh prevailed. Zorc was destroyed, and he was forced into the shadows.

-

Marik had been wandering around the shadows for a while now, not knowing how long he was there for time didn't exist in the realm he resided in. Sometimes he walked around, trying to find something that was different than the black-grey-purple haze that surrounded him. Sometimes he ran, trying to escape the non-existant things he thought were chasing him. Sometimes he just sat or lay down, taking calming breaths to try and figure a way to get out of the place that was driving him crazier. Most of the time, however, he screamed. Screamed in rage. Screamed in agony. Screamed in sorrow. Screamed for nothing. Screamed for everything.

Bakura was in a similar situation, not knowing how long he'd been in the shadows for, wandering around aimlessly. Unlike Marik, he felt more at home in the shadows, but that didn't mean the neverending hazy purple abyss wasn't driving him even more insane than he already was. He was convinced he was hearing voices. Or at least screams. He knew they were in his head, but they were still annoying.

The shadow realm was endless. One could walk for years, decades, and never end up anywhere. Bakura knew this, so it was surprising when he decided out of boredom to follow the screams, and they actually lead him somewhere.

Marik was sat down, hands clutching, pulling at his hair, screams of complete and utter despair tearing out of his throat. He was crying to, having had enough of the endlessness, the loneliness.

Bakura watched from a distance for a while, staring as the gears of his mind worked before they clicked into place, and he remembered. He walked closer, not making a sound against the non-existant floor. Once closer enough, he reached out, slowly, and touched Marik's shoulder. No, he wasn't Marik. He was Ru. Runihura.

The other prisoner looked up at once, shocked that something had actually touched him, physically touched him. He looked into the deep red eyes of someone so familiar, and he searched his brain for a name. Bakura came to him, but he knew, just knew, it wasn't right.

"Ru." Bakura breathed, unable to speak louder for fear of breaking the possible illusion.

"Akefia?" Marik whispered back, raising a hand to stroke the cheek where he knew a scar should be. "Oh Ra, is it really...?" He trailed off, watching Bakura fall to his knees before him, never letting his hand move from the blonde's shoulder.

"It's been... so long." Bakura cocked his head to the side a smiled a purely happy smile. "How could I not realise it was you?"

"I didn't know either." Marik replied. Niether spoke more than a whisper, their voices loud in the silence. "Fuck, come here." He tugged the other closer and embraced him fiercely, never wanting to let go, fearful that he would suddenly vanish and it was a trick played on him by the shadows.

Bakura clung on just as hard, murmuring ancient words into the other's ear. Words of love, of loyalty, of loneliness, of loss. He pulled back slightly only to force their lips together in a desperate kiss. If they were physical beings, blood would be flowing from their lips with how they tore at each other, tongue battling, teeth nipping and biting, anything to feel alive, to feel loved again.

-

Together, they worked out a way to get back to their hosts. It as unbearable to be parted and hidden but once their vessels realised they were back, they set about freeing them. Bakura knew Ryou was a kind hearted boy, and while his 'friends' thought that the spirit abused the boy, he didn't, he couldn't. Marik knew Malik was also kind, but he figured it was more about getting him out of his head than being nice and setting him free.

The contract that gave them their own forms ended upon the death of their 'better' halves. They would return to their items to await being awoken by their other selves recincarnations. So in truth, they weren't really free. They also had to give up their goals of obtaining the Millennium Items and killing the Pharaoh, now named Yami, once named Atemu. They agreed, and even received an apology from him.

"I'm sorry for sealing you." Yami had said. "I remember... everything I did as Pharaoh. I'm not proud of some of the things, and one of those was sealing you both out of nothing but spite."

Things grew into some form of normalcy. Marik lived with Malik and Isis, Bakura with Ryou. They were forced to attend school by their former hosts, but were amused when Yami was coerced into doing the same. They lived, they grew, they had their own lives but never strayed far from their other halves, their lives forever linked by the golden items given to them.

* * *

Ok, I've based this on the events of the manga. As much as I could anyways, since I haven't gotten up to Marik's appearance in the manga so for him I had to go off the anime and what I was told by friends. To me, the manga has less plotholes and makes more sense (for example, after Honda throws the Ring into the forest, how the fuck does Bakura get it back? Plothoooole).

Also went on my own fanon a bit. Since I'm not 100% sure why Bakura wanted the items, I wanted him to want them because he felt he had the right to them as his family was melted down to make the gold for the damn things.

Next and final chapter soon guys. Thanks for sticking with this ^^ Warning too: the next chapter will have a few OCs, since it takes place with the next owners of the .

R+R and get free cards!


End file.
